Two Good Summer Reads that Promote Positivity
Today I’m giving attention to two titles devoted to God working behind the scenes, and the power of positive thinking.
Two books very different in style: Higher is Waiting by Tyler Perry, is a memoir about his early days before achieving success with plays, TV shows, and movies, and Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done by Jon Acuff, is about finally overcoming the problem of not finishing goals you start.
1. Higher is Waiting
Tyler Perry shares stories about his life growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana during the 70’s when he experienced poverty, abuse, and fear.
In the story, you meet “angels” God sent Tyler’s way such as Aunt Mae, who took Perry under her wing and extended hospitality to their family on weekends and during summer break. She didn’t have many material possessions, but she showed Christian love and kindness to the family that seemed to melt away any and all problems.
Then there was Mr. Butler, a blind man, a friend whom Tyler met on the street on the way to school. In Mr. Butler, there were “no rough edges or criticisms, just appreciation.” His occupation was selling penny candies to strangers on the street, but more than that he shared pearls of wisdom with Tyler, such as “sometimes in life when you pray and done all you can, then all you have to do is stand and wait, and listen. Just stand.”
Growing up around these influential figures, Perry mustered up the courage to hope, and believe in the good in people. Along the way, he developed character which led him to make an internal promise that one day he would take care of his ailing mother. And he did.
Another thing that Perry does is draw a lot of analogies about people and life. He says, there are “Leaf People” who are only around for a season, “Branch People” who are stronger than Leaf People but they need care, and “Root People” who are special, “underground” workers who provide others with help, care, and nourishment.
Tyler dreamed big dreams with a lot of resistance around him, and lack of financial support. But, these lacks didn’t stop him from putting on his first play in Birmingham, Alabama (which was not a success). The second and third plays weren’t successes either. Yet something kept the dream alive in him.
Eventually, he got a break to produce his first play at the House of Blues in Atlanta, and people were waiting in line to see it this time. He wasn’t sure of what went right this time, but then the play went on at Fox Theatre two weeks later. Indeed success followed with the Madea stories.
There are a lot more successes like this in the book, but really this is a testimony that God indeed exists, was watching over him though the tough years of going to jobs that he really disliked and were not in alignment with his gifting, and rewarded him for his faith. Perry’s unstoppable inability to believe in the positive, and his choices to give back to those who are hurting and broken later in life really set an example.
Each chapter ends with a few reflection questions to help challenge the reader in his or her own life.
2. Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done
This is a self-help, business psychology title which is a good read with a lot of comic relief following Higher is Waiting. These two titles serendipitously go together in my book. It caused me to think more carefully about goal setting, and the many times I’ve picked up and started something—a diet, a book, a budget, and didn’t follow through.
Here’s a breakdown of Acuff’s advice:
Don’t quit before you begin. Don’t stop doing goal-centered activities even though you fail the second day.
“Cut your goal in half.” Cut your goal for losing ten pounds into losing five pounds. When you lose eight pounds, you’re the better.
“Choose what to bomb.” We can’t all be social media rock stars. Say no to shame. Sometimes we think we can handle “all that” and more, but we really can’t. So stick to what you do best.
“Make it fun if you want it done.” Who says goal-setting has to be so serious? Guarantee: you’ll finish better and maybe even faster if you choose goals that you actually enjoy, or better yet—learn to make the goals that are grunt work fun.
“Stop creating noble obstacles for yourself.” Acuff has caught onto something here: we humans sometimes create hiding places for ourselves because we fear imperfection. Do the opposite: put in the time, energy, and money into meeting your goal instead of the distraction. Don’t dodge your goals.
“Get rid of your secret rules.” Sometimes we subconsciously say things to ourselves like “only miserable, difficult goals count.” Perfection loves to distract us. Where’s your baggage? Way to solve: “borrow someone else’s diploma”—get out of your own head, and read a book, or talk to a friend on a new approach to solve a problem.
“Use data to celebrate progress.” Data will bring you back to reality. Look at backward, personal history data—what has worked for you in the past, and then look forward to what works for you—the goal, the timeline, the actions.
“Don’t quit the day before you’re done.” Acuff really gets the mind games we play. Sometimes our mind races to what we will do next, after we’ve almost reached the goal we’ve strived for. There’s a fear that the ending of this goal we’ve spent so much time on won’t be so perfect after all. What happens next? We drag on achieving our goals because we want control over the outcome, praise for being a martyr, or lowered expectations from other people.
It’s a good read that makes you think, makes you laugh, and may even make you cry about why you’ve given up on setting goals, stopped in the middle, and stopped dreaming.
Don’t stop your summer reading goals! Summer has just begun! There are books out there designed just for you to read, that are sure to stop you in your tracks and remind you of something you learned in the past, or teach you something new. This is my plug to visit your local library or bookstore today!